Wednesday, 15 January 2014

Be MCC? Yes Please!

We've had lots of discussion lately about Church in Progress being part of the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) Christian denomination. The video above records the core team saying a big fat YES to the question of ... do we get into relationship with MCC?

So today, Emily signed some papers and sent them back to Rev. Elder Darlene Garner. This means Church in Progress will be recognised as being an 'emerging church' under the MCC umbrella and slowly we will work towards affiliation. So even though we are not fully an MCC church (yet) the core team decided it would be good to get into relationship with MCC. This means MCC and Church in Progress can support one another. Some good things to come out of this relationship are...

Being part of something bigger. MCC has lots of great resources that we can tap into and contribute to. Want to know more - try exploring the main website www.mccchurch.org

It's world-wide and MCC has AMAZING conferences every couple of years. Alan and Emily were lucky enough to get some help from the 'Be a Gem' fund last year to attend. Here's Emily talking in 2013 in Chicago (at about the 18 minute mark). Start saving now for the next conference in 2016 in .... Canada!

Emily is currently working towards ordination within MCC. Becoming part of MCC is really important for this process AND it also ensures that I (Emily) adhere to the MCC Code of Conduct for pastoral leaders. Church in Progress's core team thought it was healthy for us to have some guidelines in place to ensure that Church in Progress continues and remains a safe, happy and welcoming place - being in relationship with MCC can help us do that.

MCC has an INCREDIBLE history of being inclusive and affirming of ALL people - regardless of where they are at or how they identify themselves. Church in Progress is excited about building upon this foundation. MCC was founded by a guy called Troy Perry. If you want to know more about his story check out the movie made about his journey here http://mccchurch.org/call-me-troy-video/

Eventually we'll be able to use the MCC logo and images - which will be really cool!

Lots of other good things will come out of this but you might have questions too - please go to our facebook group page or use the comments field below to join in the discussion.

We really encourage you to look more into what Being MCC is about. To get you started here's a few bits and pieces from their website.

Love, Emily and the Church in Progress Core Team

MCC Statement of Vision

Metropolitan Community Churches are on a bold mission to transform hearts, lives & history. We are a movement that faithfully proclaims God’s inclusive love for all people & proudly bears witness to the holy integration of spirituality & sexuality. Just as Jesus did, we are called to:

Do justice, show kindness, and live humbly with God. (Micah 6:8)

Explore life’s questions with open hearts and minds.

Raise our voices in sacred defiance against religious (and political or systemic) exclusion.

Reach out to those with no hope.

Lift up new generations of remarkable, far-reaching spiritual activists.

MCC Statement of Direction

MCC has staked its claim. As one of the world’s emerging churches, we are proclaiming a spirituality that is liberating and sufficiently profound to address the issues of our chaotic and complicated world. We live out our belief that in the margins we are blessed and we are offering multiple ways for people to access our message of liberation and inclusion. Through church planting, church revitalization, alliances, the internet, and our work in acts of compassion and justice, we will expand our reach substantially over the next few years. MCC will become a name known to an increasing number of people as a place where all are welcomed and our service to those who are excluded is a primary focus of our ministry. We will be leaders in the world about the union of spirituality and sexuality by articulating our message and spreading it effectively.

MCC Core Values

Inclusion

Love is our greatest moral value and resisting exclusion is a primary focus of our ministry. We want to continue to be the conduits of a faith where everyone is included in the family of God and where all parts of our being are welcomed at God’s table.

Community

Offering a safe and open community for people to worship, learn and grow in their faith is our deep desire. We are committed to equipping ourselves and each other to do the work that God has called us to do in the world.

Spiritual Transformation

Providing a message of liberation from the oppressive religious environment of our day or to those experiencing God for the first time is what guides our ministry. We believe that when people are invited to experience God through the life and ministry of Christ, lives will be transformed.

Social Action

Working to talk less and do more, we are committed to resisting the structures that oppress people and standing with to those who suffer under the weight of oppressive systems, being guided always by our commitment to global human rights.

Hiya :) I don't mind at all. You can see the steps to ordination within MCC by copying and pasting the following link into your browser http://ofld.mccchurch.org/clergy/step-by-step-to-ordination/ - my path is very similar with a few adjustments as we are in NZ. So, currently I am completing my theology degree through Otago Uni distance study (should finish this year). Also, doing the intership here is a bit of a challenge but I'm hoping to partner with a local church to complete this part. I also completed CPE over the summer which was amazing and a bit of a game changer - you can find more about this here http://www.cpe-nz.org.nz/

Church in Progress is an experiment of inclusive worship in South Auckland. We hope that our worship will inspire action in our community and our actions will inspire our worship.

We are new and we hope that we are little bit different. But however different Church in Progress may look like at it's core is our mate Jesus! We believe that through a relationship with Jesus our connection with God and with one another will grow stronger.

Church in Progress is based on discussion NOT on telling you what to think. If you are looking for a place to develop your faith or you are just curious about what life might be like as a Christian - Church in Progress might just be for you.

Be warned - we hope to develop a community of active disciples. We aren't just talking about what Jesus' teachings mean - we also try and put those teachings in action. What will that kind of faith mean for your life?

Join in and find out!

The Core Team of Church in Progress currently is Angie, Adrienne, Alan and Emily. Emily looks after this blog and you can contact her on emily.worman@gmail.com